The pop star is full of quirky surprises and an unexpected dark side. Scroll down to get the lowdown on everything there is to know about her!
She's Tiny
With such a huge stage presence and an all-powerful voice, Ariana Grande is surprisingly tiny, reaching only 5 feet tall or 1.53 meters. Of course, is almost always photographed in heels, so pictures might be misleading.
Though if you had a moment's doubt, just look back at old photos of her standing next to the very tall Pete Davison.
Millions of Followers
When you're as big as Ariana, you're gonna get some fans. We're not only talking about the mere thousands of boys and girls screaming at concerts, we're also talking about the 200+ million followers on Instagram.
With this amount, she is number three on a list of Instagram accounts with the most followers (according to a recent poll.) Number one is Christiano Ronaldo and number two is the Rock, though Ariana is not that far behind the wrestler-turned-actor.
Named After an Animated Character
Ariana is a lovely name, but do you know where it comes from? Well, her parents were actually inspired by the 1988 animated classic film "Felix the Cat" about a cat who saves a princess and restores all order to the Land of Oriana.
Bet you can see where we're going here. Princess Oriana is the young princess of the land. Her parents must have loved that name so much that they decided to give it to their daughter. And so Ariana was born.
A Nickelodeon Star
Today's fans might only know Ariana Grande through her super successful pop career (makes sense) but true Arianators know the star from her time on the Nickelodeon show "Victorious" and its spin-off "Sam & Cat."
The shows feature a young red-headed Ariana as Cat Valentine, an ever cheerful, ditzy girl who almost never gets angry. We wonder if the real Ari could relate.
Who Is Frankie Grande?
There are more Grandes it seems. Frankie Grande, her brother is quite the entertainer in his own right. He's a bit older too, 10 years to be exact. Frank James Michael Grande Marchione (that's a mouthful) was born in 1983 and is a triple threat!
The singer, dancer, and actor is known for his YouTube videos and some roles on Broadway musicals, namely "Rock of Ages" (2014–2015) and in "Mamma Mia!" The two are super close with Frankie describing their relationship as being "Yin and Yang."
The Song That Was Never Hers
There are songs out there that are tailor-made for certain singers, and we could never imagine them coming out of the lips of another. That's probably what Beyonce felt when she read the lyrics for "Baby I."
Although that song wasn't originally meant for Ariana, it had her name on it, and so it ultimately made its way to its rightful owner. Needless to say Miss Grande nailed it and now we could never see it any other way.
Made for the Stage
In 2008, Ariana Grande found herself on a different kind of stage, that of the Broadway persuasion. Out of countless hopefuls, Grande was cast in the Broadway production "13" as Charlotte, the cheerleader.
On top of that, the entertainer nabbed herself a prize for her stellar performance *and* received the National Youth Theatre Association Award for her performance in the musical.
Following the Yellow Brick Road
As a natural singer with unprecedented stage talent, it's not surprising that Ariana's favorite film is the musical classic, "The Wizard of Oz." In fact, she was already performing in the stage production as a kid.
The songstress has said that "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was one of her earliest performances. I think we can all agree that we would love to see the current Ariana cast in the musical even today.
Looking Up Proudly
We would expect a fine singer like Ariana to look up to some of the legendary singers of the past. Musically, perhaps. Personally, however, she has someone else in mind, and that is mama Grande. Yep, the woman who gave birth to her, Joan Grande. Joan is the CEO of a communications company based in Flordia and has been a strong force in Ariana's life.
The singer also looks up to her mom as a professional role model, which makes sense, given her position in the corporate world. Ariana is proud — and rightfully so — of the success of her mother. Mama Grande, Joan, is a CEO of a company. She has always been a solid professional role model that her daughter could follow.
She's Avid LGBTQ+ Ally
If you know a little something about Ariana's brother, Frankie, you'd know that other than his immense talent as a Broadway actor, he is also openly gay. Frankie came out to Ari when she was just eleven years old. Her response? "Cool. Do you have a boyfriend?" He told her he did and she asked when she could meet him.
Frankie was so surprised by her cool response which proved to be wise beyond her years. Turns out their mother Joan was supportive too.
She Has Some Health Issues
Ever heard of hypoglycemia? This is a condition that results in low blood sugar. The symptoms aren't pleasant and include things like shakiness, and spells of dizziness, basically all the effects of experiencing an extreme sugar drop.
The singer has been pretty vocal about her condition. Let's hope our girl has a handy glucose pill on her at all times, or at least just a simple chocolate bar! We wonder what some of her favorites are. Our gut says she's Reese's kinda gal.
Special Name for Fans
Ari has a lot of fans out there, so instead of learning all 500 million of their names, she calls them all "Loves," jokes aside, that is a very sweet term of affection. But while she calls them that, the fans themselves have come up with their own name.
They call themselves "Arianators." We guess Justin Bieber started that trend with the "Belieber" nickname. We do prefer "loves" though.
She Loves Tattoos
The girl sure does love her ink and has numerous very significant tattoos all over her body, more than 30! (And counting.) Some of her tattoos include the word "Honeymoon" symbolizing the name of her single.
She has the word "Bellisima," a name given to her by her late grandfather on her ribs. She has the word "Lumos" the spell from the beloved Harry Potter series and the number "8418" to honor ex, Pete Davidson's firefighter father who fell during 9/11.
She Has a Dark Side
She may love her fluffy clouds up high in the sky, but Miss Grande also has a fondness for the dark and dubious. In her younger days, the singer kept a folder filled with scary pictures of demons and monsters.
It seems that she has since let go of some of those passions and interests as she claimed that during that time in her life, strange things kept happening to her. We're glad Ari rid herself of whatever bad juju was lingering.
The Greatest Love of All
As a diva herself, Ariana grew up listening to one of the most legendary divas of all time, the iconic Whitney Houston. We're imagining what the little pop star must have felt when listening to the late singer belt out some of the most famous songs of all time.
Probably something along the lines, "One day that will be me up there, blowing people away with my own set of pipes!" If that is what happened, well, she called it.
Not Just a Singer
With talent like hers, it's not exactly out of this world that Ariana would play a few instruments. A bit of guitar perhaps? Well, yes, but not only! She plays the french horn! That's right, your girl Ariana knows her way around an orchestra.
In addition to that, she plays the piano. Can we also count her voice? Pretty please? That is totally an instrument, too.
She's Proud of Her Roots
Miss Grande has often been mistaken for being a singer of Latin descent. We don't know why, but whoever thought that is very wrong. The singer is actually Italian with roots in both Sicily and Abruzzo.
Also, her name is "Grande" which is Italian for "big." A name very fitting for the pop icon for what she lacks in physical stature, she definitely makes up in presence.
Home Wedding
In 2021, the singer found what seems to be the love of her life (sorry, Pete) and tied the knot with her now-husband Dalton Gomez. She opted for a simple and intimate affair and exchanged vows in the comfort of her own home.
Can you guess what sort of gown she wore? No, not a dressing gown, even though it was at home. She rocked up in what most celeb brides do — a classic Vera Wang. And she looked just stunning.
A Healthy Mental State
Ari hasn't had the easiest path when it comes to her family life. When she was around nine years old her parents went their separate ways. That's never easy for a kid, no matter the age. The young singer has struggled with anxiety ever since.
Fortunately, Ariana was able to turn to therapy to help her get through it, and ever since (over a decade now) she's worked through a lot of the trauma.
The Signature Hairstyle
You've seen Ari's signature ponytail, she rocks it wherever she goes, heck, we're starting to think she goes to bed like that! But there's a reason her hair looks like that and that is less about style and more about the state of her hair.
During her year on the Nickelodeon hit "Victorious" (2010 to 2013), she underwent some drastic hair dyeing for the part. The result? Some seriously damaged hair that she had to hide. We hope her locks have healed since, but regardless, we love the ponytail look and couldn't imagine her any other way.
Her Very Own Drink
Ariana loves clouds, she has a cloud tattoo on her middle finger, a fragrance (aptly called cloud), and in 2019, she even got her own limited edition drink at Starbucks called...can you take a guess? We'll give you a hint, it has the word cloud in it.
The drink was called The Cloud Macchiato and was apparently just delicious. Why does Ari love clouds so much? We're not sure, but we're guessing it's because they look like dreamy wisps of angelic cotton candy. We get your vibe, girl.
Her Biggest Phobia
We all have fears. Some of us hate bugs, others, small spaces, some of us are even afraid of people. What's Ariana's? Her big no-no is heights. Pretty classic we suppose. Fortunately, even though she is super afraid of heights, she doesn't let it get in the way of enjoying certain things.
In fact, she loves theme parks, and riding roller coasters is one of her favorite things to do. We're not sure how she manages with that, but hey, it looks like she's great at conquering her fears.
Going Bananas
Food allergies can really ruin group dinners. Especially if it's an ingredient that's in a lot of dishes like nuts or eggs. Fortunately for our pop princess, that is not the case as she is just allergic to bananas. We suppose that's annoying because chowing down on a banana is both satisfying and healthy!
For Ari, however, those delicious yellow fruits are a big red flag! In 2011, she tweeted "I just discovered that I'm allergic to bananas. How bizarre is that?? Haha... Are any of you allergic to bananas too?" That is bizarre, and we wonder if any of you out there are too...
Expert Impressionist
If you've ever tuned in to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" you may have seen some of his guests flex their comedy skills by doing some killer impressions of their fellow celebs. If you think tho only Hollywood actors, you'd be sorely mistaken.
Watch the pop star do impeccable vocal impressions of singers such as Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and more. As a great mimic himself, it's fun to watch Jimmy get such a kick out of it.
Her Heart Wasn't in It
Sometimes even our favorite singers create songs that we're not completely crazy about. That can also be true for the artist themselves. Clearly, not every song is cherished by them, even if they created it themselves. Sometimes they can go a step further and actually straight-up dislike the song.
That's the case for Ariana's first song "Put Your Hearts Up" which she accuses to be inauthentic and not a true reflection of who she is. You know what? We're going to have to go ahead and agree with her there.
Octaves for Days
The average human vocal range is 3 and 1/3 octaves. Ariana Grande is no average human as she has a four-octave soprano vocal range, with a belting register that goes up to about a B5, and a rolling vibrato can get as low as a Bb3. For the folks who don't know all that vocal jargon — it's impressive.
While this kind of vocal range is natural, one would still think that the pop star got some classic training. Well, you would be wrong to assume! This is all with zero voice training! That's raw natural talent right there.
She Loves Jim
Who doesn't love Jim Carrey? Just about every single film he's made (apart from the handful of dramas) has sent us into total hysterics. No one could agree more with this than Ari, who broke down in tears after she met the legendary comic.
The actress's favorite Carrey film? "Bruce Almighty!" The singer has dubbed that film as the "greatest movie ever!" It's certainly the top five, but nothing beats "The Mask."
She's a Giver
Making money as an international pop star means serious big bucks, and as we've seen countless times, these celebs know how to live it up. But that doesn't mean that they don't know how to give back. Some are super generous, case in point; Ariana.
The singer supports numerous causes, some of which include a cosmetics line through MAC which saw all proceeds going to medical research, and a One Love Manchester charity concert that raised $23 million. She also even personally helped some of her fans financially during the pandemic.
Cat Allergy
In addition to her banana allergy, Ariana also has a sensitivity to cats! Those little furballs can make her sneeze up a storm. Has that stopped her from adopting? No!
Miss Grande has some cats of her own and simply adores animals. Thank heavens for antihistamines that allow us to love those little felines without suffering from those dreaded throat tickles.
Her First Crush was JT
In 1995, one of the world's biggest boybands burst onto the scene and simultaneously into the hearts of millions of little teenaged girls around the globe. Not only teens in fact. In Ariana's case, she was about 3 years old and already found herself ogling over JT's sweet boyband moves.
Was it perhaps the O.G. pop star that ignited her love for that world? Perhaps. One thing is certain, tiny Ari was in love for the very first time in her little toddler life.
She's a Curly
We've seen her with a long and luscious ponytail and during her Nickolodeon days she had red hair like Ariel the Mermaid, but in reality, under the hair dye and extensions, Ariana's hair is dark brown and curly.
There are only a handful of photos online in which you can see her true dark locks. We think she looks great like that, perhaps a return is due?
Joan Grande Was Worried
Ariana's mom had some valid-sounding fears about her daughter. Growing up, Ari seemed to possess a passion for the twisted. She loved horror films, creepy costumes, and all things monstrous.
It made her mom think that she might grow up to be an actual serial killer. Thankfully, Ari opted for a different line of work. It's safe to say that while a mother knows best, even they are sometimes mistaken.
Ice Ice Baby
Every great singer has a first performance that is pretty eventful. For Ariana, it was freezing when she performed on an ice rink at an NHL game in her home state of Florida.
She was only eight or nine years old and sang the National Anthem. That is an impressive feat for anyone to do at a national hockey game, let alone a little kid.
She's Had a High Profile Love Life
As much as her voice gets her attention, her dating life has also gotten some decent coverage. To be fair, her love life is rather exciting with relationships with some of the biz's most interesting men.
Her tumultuous relationship with the late Mac Miller was an experience that clearly left a mark on the pop star. Of course, then there was also the brief engagement with SNL cast member Pete Davidson. She's also been linked to Ricky Alvarez, Big Sean, Jai Brooks, and more. These days, after two years of marriage to real estate broker Dalton Gomez, the singer is living the divorced life.
Early Bird
Can you believe that Twitter has been around for over fifteen years? Some of us are a little late to the party, but the 7 Rings singer has been tweeting since she was about sixteen years old.
We imagine the tiny tween following her own favorites with no knowledge that one day she herself would be tweeting to the millions upon millions of fans out there in the Twitterverse.
A Disney Princess
As a lover of musicals, we're hardly surprised that the pop sensation loves Disney movies. And did you see her performance on ABC's "Disney Family Singalong?" She knocked that one out of the park.
As a Disney fanatic, she even celebrated her 21st birthday at the Magical Kingdom at the Disney World Resort. Yep, that's how Ari entered adulthood. We love it. She also indulged herself in a multi-layered Cinderella-themed birthday cake.
She Terrified Her Friends
According to the singer, when she was two years old she had a rather interesting theme for her birthday. Instead of a sweet princess-themed birthday as most little girls would do, she opted for a "Jaws" themed event.
The horrifying Spielberg classic didn't sit too well with the other toddlers (parents) and apparently, nobody showed up. Her recent birthday party was "Midsommar" themed, as in the terrifying Ari Aster horror film based in the "idyllic" Swedish paradise. Curious...
CEOs All-Around
Ariana has made some astonishing accomplishments but she has her parents to thank when it comes to ambition. That's because both of her parents are actually CEOs of their own companies.
Her father, Edward Butera, heads a graphic design film, while her mother Joan is the CEO of a manufacturer of communications and safety equipment.
Not All About Pop
As a pop singer, we'd expect the lady to stick to her lane, but with a talent like hers, the singer couldn't help but indulge herself in belting out "E Più Ti Penso," an Italian classic back in the year 2015.
Ariana connected to her Italian roots in 2015 when she recorded "E Più Ti Penso.” The Italian classic was featured on Andrea Bocelli’s opera album and became a #1 hit on the Billboard Classical Music charts of that year!
All Aboard the Hogwarts Express
No, we're not talking about Ariana Dumbledor, the half-blood witch and younger sister to Albus, we're still on Ariana Grande. That being said, she is absolutely mad about Harry Potter and even has a tattoo of the word "Lumos" on her right hand. We find that quite touching as it's the charm that illuminates the tip of the wand in order to see in the dark.
Can you guess which House Ariana belongs in? The answer might surprise you. Since she's a hero to so many we would think she's a Gryffindor like old Harry, but nay, Ariana is actually a Slytherin at heart.
Scream Queen
She's been vocal about her dark side, her love for demons, and all things downright scary so of course, Grande's favorite genre of film is horror. It's no surprise that she landed up briefly starring in the slasher horror-comedy "Scream Queens."
The Ryan Murphy show is an anthology series about a sorority that is plagued by a disguised serial killer. Yikes.
Dogs for Days
Ariana Grande loves dogs. If you're one of her 200+ million followers on Instagram you may already feel acquainted with her some or all of her eleven dogs that are often seen on her social media.
They all have such wonderful names, too. And they are...Ophelia, Piggy Smallz, Cinnamon, Coco, Lafayette, Sirius, Strauss, Pignoli, Toulouse, Myron, and Lily. Did you catch some of the Harry Potter references?
A True Chameleon
Ariana doesn't need to rely on her vocal prowess to pull off a killer impression. In addition to her incredible musical impressions of famous singers, she can do regular ones too.
Just watch her impersonation on SNL where she plays the "annoyingly relatable" Jennifer Lawrence. The audience was truly impressed when the pop star whipped that one out. The mannerisms and voice were on point.
A Child Star
Ariana's success can be traced even earlier than her Nickelodeon show. She made her acting debut at eight years old when she got the lead role as Annie in..well... "Annie."
She was in other productions as a kid too, such as her "The Wizard of Oz" (her favorite) and "Beauty and the Beast."
Big Name Players
It might be a sad fact, but in this cut-throat biz, raw talent can get you only so far. To really make it to the top takes tons of hard work and being connected to the right people. When it comes to that, Ariana played her cards right when she signed with the (perhaps now infamous) manager, Scooter Braun.
If that name rings a bell, it's probably in connection to the Taylor Swift song rights fiasco he's embroiled in. But that's another story. Braun also manages Justin Bieber, Demi Lavato, J Balvin, and more.
She Connects to the Kabbalah
The pop star credits a big part of her success to this ancient Jewish mysticism, even though she was raised Catholic. It all happened when she and her brother visited a Kabbalah center based in Florida during a trying time.
According to the singer "you have to watch your intentions, make sure you’re not giving in to your ego... That takes a lot of self-control and practice and, I guess, willpower."
White House Fave
She's performed in some impressive venues, but none as impressive as the actual White House. The singer has performed at two White House events such as the Famous Easter Egg Roll and the Women of Soul Performance and the Obamas simply loved her.
She opened her performance with a very warm greeting for the former President and first lady by saying "Mr. President, Mrs. Obama, what’s up? How are ya?” As you can imagine it got a lot of laughs.
Hit Twice By the Puck
As a devout hockey fan who also performed the National Anthem at an NHL game, Ari has been around her fair share of flying hockey pucks. Amongst them, she's gotten hit twice.
Both hits actually occurred in the same year (1998) but luckily did not cause any major injuries, thankfully. Just some bruising here and there. We're glad it hasn't happened since.
Always Charitable
We've seen Ariana's charitable ways as an adult with her numerous philanthropic efforts, but the singer has been doing this since she was about ten years old.
That's when she founded a singing charity group called Kids Who Care. The group raised over half a million dollars for several good causes in the year 2007 alone.